1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a method for the production and forming of food which is wrapped in foils as a protection against recontamination.
2. Description of the Related Art
It is known that e.g. sausage and meat products which are to keep for a longer period of time have to be subjected to a special treatment. Primarily scalded sausages (sausages for frying, sausage meat dumplings or the like) which are marketed unsmoked and without the use of nitrite pickling salt will only keep for a short time in the unpacked condition.
The actual latest state of the art in the production of un-packed food is described in DE 42 23 482, DE 39 11 463, and DE 43 26 688.
DE 42 23 482 explains the following method for the production of scalded sausages, meat, and meat-like products:
xe2x80x9cThe object is solved in that the fill material is filled into a sealable bag or between to foils to be joined. The bag or the foils are sealed in an air-tight manner by means of welding, permanent pressure, clipping, binding, or folding at the openings, after the entrapped air has been removed from the intermediate space of the packing by vacuumising.
In order to obtain finished products of identical size the fill material is uniformly distributed in the package. The filled and sealed package is placed between two gates adjusted to the size of the package, and by approaching the gates to the material thickness of the foils, a separation of the fill material into individual strands is achieved. The gates, together with the filled, clamped packages are heated for preserving the fill material and subsequently cooled down. Due to the fact that according to the presented method, the individual finished products are already packed in an air-tight manner after the termination of the manufacture, the risk of recontamination is precluded. Any and all flavouring substances remain in the product. The filling and packing operation which is very manpower-intensive can be fully automated. The employment of sausage skins or other wrappings is omitted.xe2x80x9d
Another method for the manufacture of scalded, unsmoked sausage, sausage meat dumplings and similar raw sausage meat products is presented in DE 39 11 463 as follows:
xe2x80x9cThe method provides for filling raw sausage meat into pre-formed (deep drawn) foils by means of a filling machine and a corresponding distribution head (rake filler).
After filling, the packages in which several raw parts (e.g. sausages for frying) are lying next to each other without contac-ting one another are covered by a further foil (lid foil), evacuated, and the foils are welded to each other (surface sealing) in such a manner that each raw part is completely wrapped. The package with the fresh sausage meat is heated, the contents are thereby preserved.
Due to the fact that according to the presented method, the individual finished products are already packed in an air-tight manner after the termination of the manufacture, the risk of recontamination is precluded. Any and all flavouring substances remain in the product. The filling and packing operation which is very manpower-intensive can be fully auto-mated. The employment of sausage skins or other wrappings is omitted.xe2x80x9d
A method for ripening and drying of raw sausages, salamis, and similar products in a water-proof form or wrapping to be vacuumised is described in DE 43 26 688 as follows:
xe2x80x9cThe raw material is prepared as usual under the supplementary addition of moisture absorbing substances and rapidly acidifying starter cultures and/or glucondeltalactone (GdL). The raw material (sausage meat, coarse meat pieces) is filled into forms or wrappings of water-proof material. Immediately after filling, the form or wrapping together with its contents is subjected to a vacuum for deaeration of the raw material. Subsequently, the wrapping or form is tightly sealed.
The desired aw (water activity) value is adjusted by the quantity of the added moisture absorbing substances. With the addition of rapidly acidifying starter cultures and/or glucondeltalactone (GdL), the required undelayed decrease of the pH value, and thus the formation of gel, is achieved. After filling the forms or wrappings, the raw sausage meat must be held at specified temperatures in accordance with the raw material composition, in order to enable the ripening process to start and continue in the desired manner. The following ripening process is conceivable:
* hold at approx. 24xc2x0-26xc2x0 C. for 24 hrs;
* hold at approx. 22xc2x0-24xc2x0 C. for 12 hrs; subsequently
* hold at approx. 18xc2x0 C. for 48 hrs.
Subsequently, the raw material has ripened to such an extent that if can be sold as a finished product.xe2x80x9d
It is the object of the invention to specify a method according to which the processing steps of packing and preserving of food can be carried out in a simple manner, and according to which a qualitatively stable and attractive end product is generated.
This object is solved in that a specified portion of the pasty semi-finished product is injected onto a lower foil. An upper foil is drawn thereon. The upper and the lower foil are welded together at their edges in a vacuum.